Interest Grabber

Section 3-1

Levels Within Levels

An ecosystem is a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular
place, together with their nonliving, or physical, environment. Within an
ecosystem, there are several levels of organization. Your school and its
grounds are similar to an ecosystem.

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Interest Grabber continued

Section 3-1

1. What living things are found in and around your school?

2. What nonliving things are found in your school?
3. Into what large groups are the students in your school divided?
4. Into what smaller groups are these large groups divided?
5. Are these groups ever divided into even smaller groups? If so, what are these groups?

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Section:

Section Outline
Section 3-1

31

What Is Ecology?
A. Interactions and Interdependence
B. Levels of Organization
C. Ecological Methods
1. Observing
2. Experimenting
3. Modeling

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Compare/Contrast Table
Section 3-1

Ecological Methods
Observation

Experiment

Model Building

Field site

Sites

Experimental plots,
field sites, laboratory
Tapes, compass,
Measuring Tools Tapes, compass,
Global Positioning
Global Positioning
System, thermometer, System, thermometer,
sensors
sensors
Magnifying Tools Binoculars, microscope, Binoculars, microscope,
telescope
telescope

Written Record

Satellite images

Notes, automated data Notes, automated data Automated data storage

storage
storage

Chemical Testing Test kits

Computer/
Calculators

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Section:

Many sites for data

collecting
Aerial views, Global
Positioning System,
weather balloons

Test kits

Large database,
multiple sensors

Mathematical analysis Mathematical analysis Mathematical analysis

and graphics, statistics and graphics, statistics and graphics, statistics,
simulations

Figure 3-2 Ecological Levels of

Organization

Section 3-1

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Interest Grabber
Section 3-2

Pass It Along
Energy flows in one direction through an ecosystem, from the sun or inorganic
compounds to producers (organisms that can make their own food) through
various levels to consumers (organisms that rely on other organisms for food).
Your body gets the energy and materials it needs for growth and repair from
the foods you eat.

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Interest Grabber continued

Section 3-2

1. Make a list of five foods that you like to eat. Indicate whether the food comes from a plant (producer) or an
animal (consumer).
2. Like many birds, chickens eat grains, which are seeds. Where do seeds come from?
3. Meat comes from beef cattle. What do cattle eat?
4. Construct a diagram showing how one of your favorite foods obtains its energy. Include as many levels as
you can.

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Section Outline
Section 3-2

32

Energy Flow
A. Producers
1. Energy From the Sun
2. Life Without Light
B. Consumers
C. Feeding Relationships
1. Food Chains
2. Food Webs
3. Trophic Levels
D. Ecological Pyramids
1. Energy Pyramid
2. Biomass Pyramid
3. Pyramid of Numbers

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Ecological Pyramids
Section 3-2

Energy Pyramid
Shows the relative amount of
energy available at each trophic
level. Organisms use about 10
percent of this
energy for
life processes.
The rest is lost
as heat.

Pyramid of Numbers
Shows the relative
number of individual
organisms at each
trophic level.

Biomass Pyramid
Represents the amount of
living organic matter at each
trophic level. Typically, the
greatest biomass is at the
base of the pyramid.

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Section:

Figure 3-8 A Food Web

Section 3-2

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Interest Grabber
Section 3-3

Its Raining, Its Pouring

How many times have you had to change your plans because of rain? It
probably didnt help if someone tried to cheer you up by saying, But we really
need the rain.
However, rain is important. If it didnt rain, how would living things on land get
water?

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Interest Grabber continued

Section 3-3

1. When rain falls on the ground, it either soaks into the soil or runs across
the surface of the soil. When rainwater runs across the land, what body
of water might collect the rain?
2. From here, where might the water flow?
3. After the rain, the sun comes out and the land dries. Where does the
water that had been on the land go?
4. Construct a diagram that would illustrate all the places a molecule of
water might go. Begin with a raindrop and end with a cloud.

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Section Outline
Section 3-3

33

Cycles of Matter
A. Recycling in the Biosphere
B. The Water Cycle
C. Nutrient Cycles
1. The Carbon Cycle
2. The Nitrogen Cycle
3. The Phosphorus Cycle
D. Nutrient Limitation

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The Water Cycle

Section 3-3

Condensation
Precipitation

Evaporation

Transpiration
Runoff

Seepage

Root
Uptake

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Figure 3-13 The Carbon Cycle

Section 3-3

CO2 in
Atmosphere

CO2 in Ocean

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Figure 3-14 The Nitrogen Cycle

Section 3-3

N2 in Atmosphere

NH3

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NO3and NO2-

Video

Cycles in Nature

Click the image to play the video segment.

Go Online

The latest discoveries in preserving the environment

Links from the authors on exploring ecology from space
Interactive test
For links on energy pyramids, go to www.SciLinks.org and enter the
Web Code as follows: cbn-2032.
For links on cycles of matter, go to www.SciLinks.org and enter the Web
Code as follows: cbn-2033.

Interest Grabber Answers

1. What living things are found in and around your school?

Living things in the school are students, teachers, principal, assistant principals, clerical staff, custodians, lunchroom staff. Students may also include animals in science labs. Living things
around the school include grass, trees, shrubs, insects, birds, and so on.
2. What nonliving things are found in your school?
The building, furniture, desks, books, papers, and so on
3. Into what large groups are the students in your school divided?
9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grades, or years
4. Into what smaller groups are these large groups divided?
Classes
5. Are these groups ever divided into even smaller groups? If so, what are these groups?
Students may say that science classes are divided into lab groups; other classes may be divided into groups for projects.

Interest Grabber Answers

1. Make a list of five foods that you like to eat. Indicate whether the food comes from a plant (producer) or an animal (consumer).
Student lists will be individualized. One possible example would be a hamburger, which comes from a cow or steer.
2. Like many birds, chickens eat grains, which are seeds. Where do seeds come from?
Seeds come from plants.
3. Meat comes from beef cattle. What do cattle eat?
Cattle eat grass or grains.
4. Construct a diagram showing how one of your favorite foods obtains its energy. Include as many levels as you can.
Student diagrams will be individualized based on their food choice. Using the hamburger example, the beef in the hamburger comes from cattle. The cattle feed on grass or grain. Grass or
grains are plants, which
use energy from the sun to make their own food.

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Section:

Interest Grabber Answers

1. When rain falls on the ground, it either soaks into the soil or runs across the surface of the soil. When rainwater runs across the land, what body of water might collect the rain?
Possible answers: a stream, river, pond, or lake
2. From here, where might the water flow?
Into a river, and eventually into the ocean
3. After the rain, the sun comes out and the land dries. Where does the water that had been on the land go?
It evaporates and becomes a gas in the atmosphere.
4. Construct a diagram that would illustrate all the places a molecule of water might go. Begin with a raindrop and end with a cloud.
Student diagrams may include the following: a raindrop > lawn >
a stream > river > large lake > atmosphere > cloud.

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